Optimism is a good thing, but you might want to mix in a shot of realism, with a skepticism chaser.

Recently, Alex Bregman’s agent Scott Boras said that the Astros third baseman “has made it clear that he’s open to listening to whatever the Astros have to say.”

That was quickly followed by Astros general manager Dana Brown saying, “We’d love to have him (Bregman) here and as far as the timeline, we just don’t have it. But we will at some point make an offer.”

Astros fans and some in sports media added one plus one together and came up with $225 million over seven years or some other high-priced, multiyear deal for Bregman to stay in Houston.

That’s why we’ve seen headlines like these recently:

“Alex Bregman will definitely get Astros contract offer.”

“Astros GM says they’re going to offer Bregman an extension.”

“Astros plan to extend Bregman despite outside noise.”

Technically all that’s true. At some point, and they’d better hurry because spring training starts this week, the Astros probably will write a number on a piece of paper and slide it across the table to Bregman.

But the devil’s in the details. We don’t know what the Astros will offer Bregman, but here’s a detail we do know. The Astros have never offered a contract longer than six years or more than $150 million. Bregman is expected to ask for more years and way, way more money than that.

What about Boras saying Bregman is open to talk extension with the Astros? What would you expect Bregman to say – I’ll see you guys next year but I’ll be wearing a different uniform? If Bregman said he was closing the door on the Astros, he would lose the fan support he obsessively covets in Houston.

As for the Astros promising fans that they will make Bregman an offer to stay? I’ll take them at their word, but what’s in the offer? Will the Astros break their covenant on not offering huge bucks and super multiyear contracts? It’s very unlikely in the case of Bregman who, while still a nice player, has seen his numbers decline in recent years.

What do you expect the Astros to say – sorry fans, we know what he wants and we just can’t afford that?

Occasionally I’ll get a call from one of those companies offering to buy my house, sight unseen, no closing costs, no inspections, no commission, no nothing. You see these guys on TV, too. They’ll have an offer to me by end of business tomorrow. Are they offering the same price the house across the street just sold for? Not even close.

Bregman wants to be paid what the third baseman across the street is paid.

The Astros have made lowball (or no) offers to keep star players in the past. George Springer, Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Correa, Charlie Morton and others all took bigger money and went elsewhere. The only icon who re-upped to stay with the Astros is Jose Altuve and he’s four years older than Bregman and a future Hall of Famer.

You never know how these things work out, or what kind of magic pen the accountants can wave, but until there’s a press conference with Bregman wearing an Astros jersey over his business suit …